Notes from the meeting December 21, 2010.

Members were divided into small groups, and asked to brainstorm needs for the district in several different areas. Ideas are compiled below.

Preschool Children:

• Social skills, needs
• Structure
• Opportunities for success
• Consistency at home
• Literacy skills
• How to get feedback from parents
• Special services, such as immunization, dental care
• Preschool importance
• Internet safety - introduce
• Making people aware...

Elementary Children:

• Find their level, continue to challenge them
• Instill sense of community, belonging, giving back
• Global connectivity

Middle School Children:

• Self-expression
• Satisfying relationships
• Need for understanding, someone who cares
• Sense of ownership within school and community
• Global connectivity
• Bullying prevention
• Communication
• Parental involvement
• After-school programs for kids not involved in sports
• Strengthening families through family time, communication, closeness
• Mentors

High School Children:

• Community service
• Sense of ownership within school and community
• Prepared for the future
• Global connectivity
• Career preparation
• Job opportunities
• Better communication and cooperation with business community
• Real-world experiences
• Career paths
• Professional development
• Respect
• Job shadowing
• Life skills
• Preparation
• Work experience
• Mentors

Community:

• School-community communication
• Community knowing what's going on
• "Fitting in"
• Feeling a part of the community
• Afforrdable housing/rentals for families
• Wider group of people involved
• Housing
• Attracting families to the district
• Attracting small businesses to town
• Coordinating communication between Newell and Fonda
• Interactions between school and both communities - special, events, nursing homes
• Youth Center that's not boring
• Family day
• Kids' dance
• Standards
• Better communication
• Who are the messengers?

Parents of School-Aged Children:

• Develop independence, responsibility early
• Less reliance on electronic babysitters
• Tips 'n -Tools Night
• Parent-School partnership
• Transportation
• Child care before and after school
• Parent-Teacher organization - Parent response
• Better communication
• Digital citizenship
• Internet Safety

Senior Citizens:

• Keeping connected to the school
• Sense of belonging
• Communication
• More involvement between school and this age group
• Volunteerism
• Community functions
• Transportation issues
• Continuity - more involvement than just seasonal festivities
• Volunteering
• Grandparents' Day
• Good Sam - volunteering
• Breakfast buddies
• Fonda Nursing and Rehab - volunteering
• Involvement with students and technology

Other:

• TNT Night - more variety, rotation of topics, more frequently, cultural diversity, communication issues
• Coordination of services to meet the needs of the community members
• Appointments take half a workday
• TNT Night - DMACC speaker
• Community-wide effort to involve everyone